Childhood obesity is a growing problem these days. The good news is that there are several ways to get your kids off the couch. The trick is to make the outdoors more exciting than the video games that they are playing. If that fails, you always have the option of taking away the video games for good.
1) Get Your Kids Interested In Something
The first step is to get your kids interested in something other than the television. If you child is interested in astronomy, take him to a planetarium or on a night trip to watch a meteor shower. If your daughter is interested in playing sports, get her signed up for soccer of field hockey.
2) Make Exercise Fun
Exercise doesn’t have to be a chore that to dread. It can take the form of building a snowman or putting together a basketball hoop. The goal is to get your kids moving without realizing that they are getting a workout. Getting a pet can help as running around with the dog is something that children are always interested in. Enrolling your kids in swimming lessons from SwimJim could be a way for your kids to get exercise while pursuing one of their interests.
3) Limit Time In Front Of The TV
No child should spend more than 30 minutes in front of the television each day. If it is raining out, exceptions can be made to watch a movie as a family or for extra time spent playing games on a tablet. However, kids should not be glued to the TV or their computers all day. Parents need to set limits and enforce them.
4) Plan Family Activities
It shouldn’t just be the children that are forced to get outside more. The entire family should take trips to pumpkin patches or apple picking when the weather is nice out. Planning family picnics or walks along a hiking trail can inspire your kids to appreciate nature while getting some exercise. When the kids see mom and dad are not sitting in front of the TV all day, they will appreciate why it is important to stay off the couch.
Children hate being forced to get up off the couch. However, they will have a hard time being told to stop playing at the end of the day as well. Once parents get their kids up for a few minutes, it won’t be hard to keep them off the couch for the rest of the day.